Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. If I did, I would make sure that Dranzer wasn't so ugly. O.o I do own the plot of this fic an any original characters.
Rating: PG-13 for KaixRei yaoi pairing and language. (What would you expect from a bar?)
Summary: Rei, having recently lost his job, finds himself searching for somewhere to just sit and...relax. He ends up in a bar on the edges of town where he meets Kai. Kai is the bartender/co-owner of the bar and often must keep his customers in check. Which is how he meets Rei.
Notes: Yeah. Totally random. O.o Well, kind of. It's 8:30 in the morning and I'm bored to death already. I was sitting downstairs watching CMT(Country Music Television) and Toby Keith's 'I Love This Bar' came on. I'd just finish watching Beyblade(and received a bit of long-awaited motivation) and the first thing that came to mind was that I should make a Beyblade fic involving a bar. And who better to do the fic with than Kai and Rei? ^.^ I know, I know. I'm just adding on to the huge pile on my plate already but I wont be able to get this off of my mind and if I don't do it now I wont want to do it later when I really want to do. ---That makes no sense, I know. But I need to do it while I still have the inspiration. That's why I haven't done chapter 7 of HoW. I didn't watch the race last weekend so I kind of...yeah. Got a bit lazy. I'll watch the race tomorrow and I'll type up 7 & 8 for you. Meanwhile, here's...umm...*Can't think of a name* MR.STUFFY! Some help here! *Looks for Mr.Stuffy but only hears his voice.* He says I should call it Dranzer. O.o Says that should be the bar's name. So. Yeah. Okay. Here's Dranzer. XD (It's going to have to be a chapter fic since they don't know each other in the start and I'm not talented enough to make them go from oblivious to in love in a one-shot o.o)
--Dranzer-
Rei looked up at the crimson sign above the bar door. Dranzer...What was he doing at a bar anyway? Right. Where else did he want to go? After losing his job to someone supposedly 'better', Rei didn't feel like going home or any other familiar place. So he'd begun to wander around the town. His wandering had brought him to this bar. Dranzer.
"Oh, hell. How much more harm can be done..." Rei muttered as he opened the heavy bar door and stepped in. Loud voices and smoke greeted him as well as the welcoming calls from some of the bar's occupants.
"Well, well. Looks like we got ourselves a newcomer." Drawled someone at the bar counter. The man beside him looked back at Rei and nodded.
"Looks like it. Hey newcomer. What brings you here? You don't look like the type to be hangin' around in a bar."
Rei didn't respond. Instead, he found an empty seat beside the two men with more on his left.
"What? You don't want to talk about it? Let me guess...Your girlfriend dumped you."
Rei didn't respond to that either. He rested his elbows on the counter and his forehead in his hands.
"Okay...Maybe your wife dumped you at the alter then?"
"Leave him alone, Jay." Someone said from the other side of the counter. Rei lifted his head to find the bartender's crimson eyes on him. "Can I get you something?"
"No, thanks."
The other shrugged. "Don't mind them. They're just curious. And a bit territorial. I'd tell you they were like wild cats but their intelligence doesn't go that far." The bartender said to Rei. The two men chuckled, accepting the insult. This surprised Rei a bit. He'd figured that they would be angered. They looked like the type to take offense from the littlest remark.
The bartender seemed to see his surprise because he smiled. "You'll learn soon enough-if you come again- that no one here acts how they look like they act." He told Rei.
"Yeah. Look at Kai. Everyone sees him as a stoic, cold-hearted jerk but he's not." The first man who had spoken to Rei said.
"Gee, thanks. Now I know how everyone feels." The bartender said. So Rei knew his name now. Kai.
"Okay, so maybe he is a jerk. But he's not cold-hearted. Well, that might not make sense. Most jerks are cold-hearted."
"And most idiots don't know when to shut up." Kai replied.
"Yeah, yeah. I know." The man turned to his companion and they started a different conversation.
"So, what brings you here?" Kai asked. "Like Jay said: You don't look like the type that would come to a bar. Especially not this one."
"Especially not this one?" Rei inquired.
"Considering the fact that ninety-five percent of us are insane."
Rei smiled at that. He'd been thinking that Kai had meant that there was something wrong with the people that came to this bar.
"Actually, this is probably the best bar to come to. I sound like I'm bragging or something but it's true. It's safer than the other three in town and the people are much better behaved. Though I do admit that I do occasionally have to stop some customers from misbehaving." Someone called to Kai. "I'll be right back." Kai went to find out what the customer wanted before returning to talk to Rei.
"Now, are you willing to talk about why you're here?"
Rei sighed. "Yeah. I might as well..."
"I'm listening. I'll have to stop you sometimes if someone needs me though."
Rei nodded. "Okay...Well, for starters, I used to work as an editor for the newspaper. Probably the only job I've ever really enjoyed. But my boss's wife somehow got him to believe that she was a better editor than me. Which is crazy, considering she dropped out of school in ninth grade. So, I lost my job to her. That was last year. After a month or two, he figured out that his wife was a terrible editor and asked for me to come back. I did, only to find that his
-sister- was trying to take my job as well."
Kai stopped him there and went to settle disagreement between a man and his date. Rei watched him, wondering how he kept his patience and good mood all night if he kept having to break up fights. When Kai returned, he motioned for Rei to continue.
"Well, my boss didn't seem to want to give his sister the job at first. I was happy about that. Glad that he wasn't giving in to his family again. But, after my mother passed away, my editing became poor. His sister took advantage of that and he gave her the job, once again firing me. But she was even worse than I was after my mother died. So, once again, he called me back for the job. And I, though slightly reluctant, accepted my job back. Everything went well up until today..." Rei trailed off for a moment. "Could you get me some water?"
"Hai. Be right back." When Kai returned, he set the glass of water before Rei. Rei picked up the glass, taking a drink before continuing.
"So, today, his -daughter- got the job and he fired me -again-. But, this time, he's positive that his -daughter- is better."
"How old is she?"
"Fifteen."
"Damn...Is she as good as he thinks?"
"You want to see what she edited?" Rei offered.
"Is it good?" Kai asked.
"No."
"Then I don't need to. Are you planning on finding another job?"
"I wasn't but I have to." Rei muttered.
"What kind of job are you looking for?"
Rei shrugged. "Something enjoyable."
"Like?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'll go work at an animal shelter or something."
"If you meant that, I can tell you one that's looking for help." Kai said.
"Really?"
"If you meant it."
"I kind of did but I mean it now. My mom used to work at a shelter and I helped her sometimes. Where is the shelter?"
"The building across the street. It's a cat rescue." Kai said, taking out a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote a number down on the paper and handed it to Rei. "They had to move the cats out for a while so they can repair the building. You should be able to reach them at this number though."
Rei looked down at the number. "And you had this memorized?"
"Yeah. I started keep track of who's looking for help a few years ago. I've gotten to know the people here pretty well and I can tell what kind of job they would enjoy."
"Kai's helped out a lot of people around here. Me included." Someone said from behind Rei. Rei looked back.
"Hey, Max." Kai greeted, reaching behind him and filling a glass with ale. He handed it to Max who thanked him and sat down in the now unoccupied seat to Rei's right.
"Hi, Kai. How've you been?"
"Besides the point that Kayla's mad at me? Fine."
"Mad at you again? What now?"
Kai shook his head. "I haven't been letting her come with me to work on weekends because it's too crowded. So she's been sulking around the house ignoring me."
"What was it last time?" Max asked, grinning.
"Last time? Bringing the puppy home. She's okay with him now but she hated me for a month after I brought him home."
"How is the puppy?"
"Fine. He's gotten big. Of course, he -is- a Newfoundland. Kayla's taught him some of her tricks so he's become a little devil."
"Who's Kayla?" Rei finally asked.
"My Rottweiler." Kai replied. "Her mother was my former dog but she died along with Kayla's litter-mates."
"A Rottweiler...How old?"
"Seven now and she's too human for her own good." Kai muttered.
"Hey! Kai! Stop flirting with the newcomer and refill my glass, will you?"
"Refill it yourself, King!" Kai yelled back.
"Now, now, Kai. You know that's your job." Max said, shaking his head.
"Not when King wants something..." Kai growled, glaring at the burly customer who was watching him. "Are you deaf or something? Refill the damn thing yourself. I've given myself a limit. I'll refill a jackass's glass fifteen times before they have to refill it themselves. So get off your lazy as and do it yourself." Kai snapped.
"Stupid bastard." King rumbled, standing up and slamming his glass down on the counter. It shattered, causing Rei to flinch. Kai and Max just watched the man come around the counter and stalk towards Kai. "You gonna make me hurt you?" King snarled.
"I think the only think you'll be doing is forcing Kai to throw you out." Someone said from the catwalk-like hall that surrounded the bar room. Rei looked up to find a navy-haired man and a shorter, brown-haired one. The navy-haired man was the one who had spoken.
"Tyson's right, King. If you don't behave yourself, Kai will have to throw you out." Max warned.
"Let him try!" King bellowed.
"You know I can, King. Don't bother drawing attention to yourself." Kai hissed.
"King, I suggest you either return to you seat or leave. We will not hesitate to throw you out." The brown-haired man said.
"Let him do what he wants, Kenny." Tyson said. "If he wants to get his drunk rear kicked out of the bar, let him."
"No, Tyson. We don't want a fight." Kenny responded.
"Fine..."
"King." Kai said.
Growling, King turned and stormed off, leaving the bar. "Let's hope he chooses to stay out." Max muttered
"He will. There's other places better suited for his type. So, Kai. Who's your friend?" Kenny asked as he and Tyson came down the stairs from the catwalk-hall and joined Max beside Rei.
"My name's Rei." He replied, realizing that he hadn't even told Kai that yet.
"Well, nice to meet you Rei."
*Murders her comp* Stupid thing kept screwing with my indentations and stuff. *Growls* STUPID. *Huffs and turned back on computer* ANYWAY. I hope you all enjoyed that first chapter. A bit different from what you normally find, I hope. I don't want to follow what other people have been doing. Kind of why I started War of Darkness. I wanted to see if I could make something different than what anyone else has done. Did I succeed in that or in this? Tell me! Thanks for reading and please review! Later!
Rating: PG-13 for KaixRei yaoi pairing and language. (What would you expect from a bar?)
Summary: Rei, having recently lost his job, finds himself searching for somewhere to just sit and...relax. He ends up in a bar on the edges of town where he meets Kai. Kai is the bartender/co-owner of the bar and often must keep his customers in check. Which is how he meets Rei.
Notes: Yeah. Totally random. O.o Well, kind of. It's 8:30 in the morning and I'm bored to death already. I was sitting downstairs watching CMT(Country Music Television) and Toby Keith's 'I Love This Bar' came on. I'd just finish watching Beyblade(and received a bit of long-awaited motivation) and the first thing that came to mind was that I should make a Beyblade fic involving a bar. And who better to do the fic with than Kai and Rei? ^.^ I know, I know. I'm just adding on to the huge pile on my plate already but I wont be able to get this off of my mind and if I don't do it now I wont want to do it later when I really want to do. ---That makes no sense, I know. But I need to do it while I still have the inspiration. That's why I haven't done chapter 7 of HoW. I didn't watch the race last weekend so I kind of...yeah. Got a bit lazy. I'll watch the race tomorrow and I'll type up 7 & 8 for you. Meanwhile, here's...umm...*Can't think of a name* MR.STUFFY! Some help here! *Looks for Mr.Stuffy but only hears his voice.* He says I should call it Dranzer. O.o Says that should be the bar's name. So. Yeah. Okay. Here's Dranzer. XD (It's going to have to be a chapter fic since they don't know each other in the start and I'm not talented enough to make them go from oblivious to in love in a one-shot o.o)
--Dranzer-
Rei looked up at the crimson sign above the bar door. Dranzer...What was he doing at a bar anyway? Right. Where else did he want to go? After losing his job to someone supposedly 'better', Rei didn't feel like going home or any other familiar place. So he'd begun to wander around the town. His wandering had brought him to this bar. Dranzer.
"Oh, hell. How much more harm can be done..." Rei muttered as he opened the heavy bar door and stepped in. Loud voices and smoke greeted him as well as the welcoming calls from some of the bar's occupants.
"Well, well. Looks like we got ourselves a newcomer." Drawled someone at the bar counter. The man beside him looked back at Rei and nodded.
"Looks like it. Hey newcomer. What brings you here? You don't look like the type to be hangin' around in a bar."
Rei didn't respond. Instead, he found an empty seat beside the two men with more on his left.
"What? You don't want to talk about it? Let me guess...Your girlfriend dumped you."
Rei didn't respond to that either. He rested his elbows on the counter and his forehead in his hands.
"Okay...Maybe your wife dumped you at the alter then?"
"Leave him alone, Jay." Someone said from the other side of the counter. Rei lifted his head to find the bartender's crimson eyes on him. "Can I get you something?"
"No, thanks."
The other shrugged. "Don't mind them. They're just curious. And a bit territorial. I'd tell you they were like wild cats but their intelligence doesn't go that far." The bartender said to Rei. The two men chuckled, accepting the insult. This surprised Rei a bit. He'd figured that they would be angered. They looked like the type to take offense from the littlest remark.
The bartender seemed to see his surprise because he smiled. "You'll learn soon enough-if you come again- that no one here acts how they look like they act." He told Rei.
"Yeah. Look at Kai. Everyone sees him as a stoic, cold-hearted jerk but he's not." The first man who had spoken to Rei said.
"Gee, thanks. Now I know how everyone feels." The bartender said. So Rei knew his name now. Kai.
"Okay, so maybe he is a jerk. But he's not cold-hearted. Well, that might not make sense. Most jerks are cold-hearted."
"And most idiots don't know when to shut up." Kai replied.
"Yeah, yeah. I know." The man turned to his companion and they started a different conversation.
"So, what brings you here?" Kai asked. "Like Jay said: You don't look like the type that would come to a bar. Especially not this one."
"Especially not this one?" Rei inquired.
"Considering the fact that ninety-five percent of us are insane."
Rei smiled at that. He'd been thinking that Kai had meant that there was something wrong with the people that came to this bar.
"Actually, this is probably the best bar to come to. I sound like I'm bragging or something but it's true. It's safer than the other three in town and the people are much better behaved. Though I do admit that I do occasionally have to stop some customers from misbehaving." Someone called to Kai. "I'll be right back." Kai went to find out what the customer wanted before returning to talk to Rei.
"Now, are you willing to talk about why you're here?"
Rei sighed. "Yeah. I might as well..."
"I'm listening. I'll have to stop you sometimes if someone needs me though."
Rei nodded. "Okay...Well, for starters, I used to work as an editor for the newspaper. Probably the only job I've ever really enjoyed. But my boss's wife somehow got him to believe that she was a better editor than me. Which is crazy, considering she dropped out of school in ninth grade. So, I lost my job to her. That was last year. After a month or two, he figured out that his wife was a terrible editor and asked for me to come back. I did, only to find that his
-sister- was trying to take my job as well."
Kai stopped him there and went to settle disagreement between a man and his date. Rei watched him, wondering how he kept his patience and good mood all night if he kept having to break up fights. When Kai returned, he motioned for Rei to continue.
"Well, my boss didn't seem to want to give his sister the job at first. I was happy about that. Glad that he wasn't giving in to his family again. But, after my mother passed away, my editing became poor. His sister took advantage of that and he gave her the job, once again firing me. But she was even worse than I was after my mother died. So, once again, he called me back for the job. And I, though slightly reluctant, accepted my job back. Everything went well up until today..." Rei trailed off for a moment. "Could you get me some water?"
"Hai. Be right back." When Kai returned, he set the glass of water before Rei. Rei picked up the glass, taking a drink before continuing.
"So, today, his -daughter- got the job and he fired me -again-. But, this time, he's positive that his -daughter- is better."
"How old is she?"
"Fifteen."
"Damn...Is she as good as he thinks?"
"You want to see what she edited?" Rei offered.
"Is it good?" Kai asked.
"No."
"Then I don't need to. Are you planning on finding another job?"
"I wasn't but I have to." Rei muttered.
"What kind of job are you looking for?"
Rei shrugged. "Something enjoyable."
"Like?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'll go work at an animal shelter or something."
"If you meant that, I can tell you one that's looking for help." Kai said.
"Really?"
"If you meant it."
"I kind of did but I mean it now. My mom used to work at a shelter and I helped her sometimes. Where is the shelter?"
"The building across the street. It's a cat rescue." Kai said, taking out a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote a number down on the paper and handed it to Rei. "They had to move the cats out for a while so they can repair the building. You should be able to reach them at this number though."
Rei looked down at the number. "And you had this memorized?"
"Yeah. I started keep track of who's looking for help a few years ago. I've gotten to know the people here pretty well and I can tell what kind of job they would enjoy."
"Kai's helped out a lot of people around here. Me included." Someone said from behind Rei. Rei looked back.
"Hey, Max." Kai greeted, reaching behind him and filling a glass with ale. He handed it to Max who thanked him and sat down in the now unoccupied seat to Rei's right.
"Hi, Kai. How've you been?"
"Besides the point that Kayla's mad at me? Fine."
"Mad at you again? What now?"
Kai shook his head. "I haven't been letting her come with me to work on weekends because it's too crowded. So she's been sulking around the house ignoring me."
"What was it last time?" Max asked, grinning.
"Last time? Bringing the puppy home. She's okay with him now but she hated me for a month after I brought him home."
"How is the puppy?"
"Fine. He's gotten big. Of course, he -is- a Newfoundland. Kayla's taught him some of her tricks so he's become a little devil."
"Who's Kayla?" Rei finally asked.
"My Rottweiler." Kai replied. "Her mother was my former dog but she died along with Kayla's litter-mates."
"A Rottweiler...How old?"
"Seven now and she's too human for her own good." Kai muttered.
"Hey! Kai! Stop flirting with the newcomer and refill my glass, will you?"
"Refill it yourself, King!" Kai yelled back.
"Now, now, Kai. You know that's your job." Max said, shaking his head.
"Not when King wants something..." Kai growled, glaring at the burly customer who was watching him. "Are you deaf or something? Refill the damn thing yourself. I've given myself a limit. I'll refill a jackass's glass fifteen times before they have to refill it themselves. So get off your lazy as and do it yourself." Kai snapped.
"Stupid bastard." King rumbled, standing up and slamming his glass down on the counter. It shattered, causing Rei to flinch. Kai and Max just watched the man come around the counter and stalk towards Kai. "You gonna make me hurt you?" King snarled.
"I think the only think you'll be doing is forcing Kai to throw you out." Someone said from the catwalk-like hall that surrounded the bar room. Rei looked up to find a navy-haired man and a shorter, brown-haired one. The navy-haired man was the one who had spoken.
"Tyson's right, King. If you don't behave yourself, Kai will have to throw you out." Max warned.
"Let him try!" King bellowed.
"You know I can, King. Don't bother drawing attention to yourself." Kai hissed.
"King, I suggest you either return to you seat or leave. We will not hesitate to throw you out." The brown-haired man said.
"Let him do what he wants, Kenny." Tyson said. "If he wants to get his drunk rear kicked out of the bar, let him."
"No, Tyson. We don't want a fight." Kenny responded.
"Fine..."
"King." Kai said.
Growling, King turned and stormed off, leaving the bar. "Let's hope he chooses to stay out." Max muttered
"He will. There's other places better suited for his type. So, Kai. Who's your friend?" Kenny asked as he and Tyson came down the stairs from the catwalk-hall and joined Max beside Rei.
"My name's Rei." He replied, realizing that he hadn't even told Kai that yet.
"Well, nice to meet you Rei."
*Murders her comp* Stupid thing kept screwing with my indentations and stuff. *Growls* STUPID. *Huffs and turned back on computer* ANYWAY. I hope you all enjoyed that first chapter. A bit different from what you normally find, I hope. I don't want to follow what other people have been doing. Kind of why I started War of Darkness. I wanted to see if I could make something different than what anyone else has done. Did I succeed in that or in this? Tell me! Thanks for reading and please review! Later!